Sunday, September 6, 2026

Sunday, September 6, 2026

Tonight's picture was taken in September of 2008. As you can see, it was a month into treatment and Mattie lost all of his hair. This was a big adjustment for Mattie and it made him immediately see how different he was from his friends. There was no mistaking that Mattie was sick and fighting cancer! That afternoon, our neighbor, Francis, came over and bestowed Dandy Dog on Mattie. Dandy Dog was practically Mattie's size. Francis had the dog made especially for Mattie. Mattie couldn't get over this large stuffed animal. Every gift of kindness Mattie received over those 14 months, perked him up. You would be amazed how his mood and outlook would change when he received a care package from someone. All I know is I will always be grateful to the generosity of Team Mattie, because anything that brought Mattie happiness even for a minutes, was a blessing. 

Quote of the day: Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it. ~ William Arthur Ward

When I finally got my dad settled in his recliner this morning, after our morning routine, he surprised me. He literally looked at me and said, "You know what?" Seriously I had no idea what was coming next. I figured he was going to tell me what he needed, but that is not what happened. Instead, he said, "I am proud of you!" I was stunned, but given how I am feeling about myself these days, my response to my dad was, "why are you proud of me?" My dad said, "I am proud of you because you are a very special, thoughtful, and incredibly bright woman." I truly wasn't expecting this comment. Most days, I plug along without a word of kindness or thanks. I am not caregiving to get thanks, but what I found was after hearing this today, I felt a little lighter and in a better mood. 

This afternoon, I took my parents out to lunch, like I do every Sunday. With me, I brought the game, Qwirkle. How did I find out about this game? From my dad! My dad has been talking non-stop about this game, which he saw at his memory care center. Here's the irony of this! He did not play the game at the center, nor did he see anyone else play it! Nonetheless, the game caught his eye on the shelf. So much so, that his caregivers there wrote down the name of the game for me! One day last week, my dad wanted to take the game from the center, bring it home, and keep it. Of course I had to explain that the game belonged to the center. Normally my dad wants something, but then forgets about it minutes later. Not with this game! He was insistent. So the other day, I bought it. 

I packed up the game and brought it to the restaurant with us. It is a very easy game to transport and I read the instructions before today, so I had some idea how to play the game. My parents can no longer play a hand themselves, so instead, I dealt out six tiles each and we all could see each other's tiles. We then worked on creating patterns with shapes and colors together. It actually was a great activity that engaged both of my parents. Usually my mom is glued to Facebook while we are dining and my dad is out of it, which leaves me trying my best to engage them. Qwirkle did the trick today. Another table was fascinated by what we were doing that they came over and snapped a photo of the game. 

Here's the take away from all of this..... my parents may not be able to play the game exactly as intended, but they can still play the game. It takes more guidance and support from me, but as I always say.... you go with where a person is and you find a way to engage them at their developmental level! 

It made for a very engaging lunch and I am happy I insisted on taking the game with us to the restaurant. My dad wanted me to purchase the game but initially he did not want to play it. He got confused by all the tiles and couldn't understand the goal of the game. So playing as a group of three rather than three individuals made it a very successful first round of Qwirkle!